Page 122 of Forbidden Fruit
“Are you sure this isn’t a date?” he asks, his tone tinged with jealousy as his eyes land on the charcuterie board. “Because it definitely looks like one.”
I roll my eyes but can’t help smiling at his possessivetone. “Calvin, we’ve been through this. Dylan is my best friend.”
“With whom you used to have sex and were briefly in a relationship,” he interrupts.
“Calvin.” I step closer, meeting his stormy gaze. “It was a relationship that lasted a week. A mistake we both realized wasn’t right. But if we want us to work, you need to trust me, baby.”
He exhales heavily, his shoulders relaxing slightly, though his possessiveness lingers in the tension of his jaw. “Right. And I do trust you. It’s just… hard. Look at you. I never want to share you.”
His hands slide down to grab a firm handful of my ass as he pulls me against him, planting a kiss on my lips.
“I never want to share you either,” I say, melting into him.
He pulls back, his thumb brushing my cheek. “I have to go. I love you. Behave for me.” He leans in to press a tender kiss on my forehead.
“Yes, Sir,” I reply cheekily, giving him a playful salute.
The sound he makes, a low, pained groan, sends heat rushing to my cheeks as he shakes his head and grabs his briefcase.
Once Calvin is gone, I finish setting up for Dylan’s visit, arranging the last few details of the charcuterie board and fluffing the throw pillows on the couch. As I step back to survey the setup, my phone buzzes on the counter. Seeing my mother’s name on the screen, I pick it up with a smile.
“Hi, Mom!” I greet, injecting cheerfulness into my voice.
“Hello, sweetie. How are you?” she asks, her warm tone instantly making me feel at ease.
“I’m doing great. How’s Dad?”
“Dad is fine. I was calling to see if you’ve spoken with your sister. I’m worried about her,” she says. “Apparently,she and Calvin broke up. She either doesn’t want to talk to us about it, or she’s pretending she’s fine. I just… I don’t know, sweetie. I think she’s putting on a brave face.”
I hesitate for a moment, the weight of my secret pressing down on me. “I’m sure she’s okay, Mom, but I’ll talk to her,” I say, trying to sound reassuring.
“Do you know what happened between them? Honestly, I never fully understood their relationship, it always seemed so complicated.”
“No, Mom, I don’t know what happened,” I lie smoothly, even though my heart races. How could I possibly tell her the truth? That I was sleeping with Abigail’s fake fiancé, who is now my boyfriend? Yeah, no. That’s not a conversation I’m ready to have. “But I’ll try to find out,” I add, keeping my tone neutral.
There’s a pause on the other end before my mom sighs. “When can you come to Boston? The last time you visited, you left so quickly. We barely got to spend time with you.”
“I’m planning to come before my last semester starts, Mom,” I say, already making a mental note to figure out when I could manage the trip.
“Oh, good. Do you need us to pay for your plane tickets?” she offers, her voice filled with the kind of unconditional love I’ve always been grateful for.
“I’ve got it covered, Mom. Don’t worry,” I assure her. “I have to go, but I’ll talk to you soon. Love you.”
“Love you too, sweetie,” she says.
Setting the phone down, I exhale slowly. My mom’s intuition is eerily on point, as usual, and it reminds me just how precarious this whole situation is.
Moments later, a knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts. I glance at the clock and realize it must be Dylan. My stomach twists with nerves and excitement.
I open the door to find Dylan smiling at me, and instantly, the tension between us starts to fade. I return the smile and pull him into a hug, feeling the familiar warmth of his embrace. “Hi, I missed you,” I say.
“I missed you, too,” he responds.
“Come in, please,” I say, taking his hand and leading him inside the apartment.
“Are you sure it’s safe? I don’t want to get punched again. That was not fun,” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood. I laugh.
“Yes, it’s safe. I’m sorry about that,” I apologize again because it was entirely my fault.
